Whether you are a walker or runner of any type, stretching is an essential yet often overlooked part of the training workout. Simply just stretching may not be enough if it is not done correctly.
For every workout there are two parts to stretching, the pre-workout and post-workout stretch.
The pre-workout stretch gets the muscles ready for the workout by allowing blood to flow into the muscles and the increasing flexibility of the muscles which will be used during the activity. This allows you to get into the workout quicker.
The post-workout stretch will help move out of the muscles any lactic acid that will have accumulated in the muscles during the workout. This will allow for a quicker recovery and alleviate some of the soreness that you could experience from the exertion placed on the muscles during the workout.
If you are an older athlete, 30 years and older it becomes even more important to incorporate stretching into your workout routine as all the benefits of having young stretchy muscles starts declining. Stretching will help avoid some of the little injuries that can occur in older athletes that younger athletes take for granted.
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